Designer classic

Insider review:

The far end of furniture shopping street Meguro Dori is not a particularly convenient location, but it’s where you go to get great design and spacious rooms at prices that won’t crush your budget. It’s more than a decade since the Claska first gambled that visitors would sacrifice accessibility for style, and the hotel looks as fresh as ever, thanks partly to periodic room refits. Designs come in four categories: modern, contemporary, tatami and DIY. Teak-and-white contemporary room 607 is the standout. The lobby isn’t quite the magnet for Tokyo creatives it once was, but that’s a blessing if you’re planning to stay there. It’s still home to Kiokuh, a restaurant where Ducasse-trained chef Hidemitsu Yuzawa turns Japanese ingredients into Instagrammable French fare. Hotel shop Do, focusing on craft products from around Japan, has proven such a hit that it’s spawned 13 sister branches across Japan.